TASK_WEBHOOK Function Knowledge Base

Function Overview

The TASK_WEBHOOK function in Sheet Workflows is a powerful tool that enables you to send data from your Google Sheet to external services via webhooks. Webhooks are a way for different applications to communicate with each other in real-time. With TASK_WEBHOOK, you can send data from your sheet to services like Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), Pabbly Connect, and many others without writing any code.

This function creates a simple, user-friendly interface that allows you to trigger webhooks with a click of a button and easily extract and use the data returned by these services.

Uses

1. Send form submissions: Automatically send data collected in your sheet to another platform.
2. Trigger workflows: Start automated processes in tools like Zapier or Make when certain data is available.
3. Update external systems: Send updates to CRMs, marketing platforms, or project management tools.
4. Data enrichment: Send data to an API and receive enhanced information back into your sheet.
5. Notifications: Send alerts to messaging platforms like Slack or Discord.
6. Custom integrations: Connect your sheet to any service that supports webhook inputs.

Syntax and Parameters

TASK_WEBHOOK(url, [use_cache], [celladdress])

Advanced Options

Using the Cache Option

The use_cache parameter helps prevent duplicate webhook requests when your sheet recalculates:

• use_cache=true (default): The function will remember previous responses and won't re-trigger the webhook unnecessarily when:

  • You reopen your spreadsheet
  • Cells are recalculated
  • You edit unrelated parts of your sheet

• use_cache=false: The webhook will be triggered every time the function is executed. Use this when you want to ensure a fresh call is made each time.

Example with cache disabled:

=TASK_WEBHOOK("https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/123456/abcdef/", false)

Custom Output Location

By default, TASK_WEBHOOK places the webhook response in the cell to the right of the function. However, you can specify a different cell:

=TASK_WEBHOOK("https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/123456/abcdef/", true, "F10")

This places the webhook response in cell F10, regardless of where the function is located.

Extracting Data from Webhook Responses

One of the most powerful features of TASK_WEBHOOK is the automatic dropdown creation for accessing data in the webhook response:

1. When a webhook returns JSON data, TASK_WEBHOOK automatically creates a dropdown in the top row of the column to the right of the output cell
2. This dropdown contains all field names from the JSON response
3. A formula is also automatically added to extract the selected field's value
4. You can copy this dropdown to additional columns and select different fields to extract more values

This makes it easy to pull specific information from complex webhook responses without needing to understand JSON structure.

Examples

Example 1: Basic Webhook to Zapier

1. In cell A2, enter:

=TASK_WEBHOOK("https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/123456/abcdef/")

2. Open the Sheet Workflows sidebar and click "Run" next to the function
3. The webhook will send data to Zapier, and the response will appear in cell B2
4. In row 1 of column C, a dropdown will appear with field names from the response
5. In cell C2, a formula will automatically extract the selected field's value

Example 2: Sending Data to Make (formerly Integromat)

1. In cell A3, enter:

=TASK_WEBHOOK("https://hook.us1.make.com/abcdefghijklmnopqrstuv")

2. Run the function from the sidebar
3. The webhook will send row data to Make, and the response will appear in cell B3
4. Use the dropdown in C1 to select which data field to display

Example 3: Pabbly Connect Integration with Custom Output Location

1. In cell A4, enter:

=TASK_WEBHOOK("https://connect.pabbly.com/workflow/sendwebhookdata/IjU3NjUwNTY1MDYzZTA0Mzc1MjYHENzMzUxMzMi_pc", true, "D4")

2. Run the function from the sidebar
3. The webhook response will be placed in cell D4 (instead of B4)
4. The field selector dropdown will appear in E1
5. Cell E4 will contain the formula to extract the selected field

Example 4: Extracting Multiple Data Points from a Webhook Response

1. Set up your webhook as in the previous examples
2. After running the function, note the dropdown that appears in the top row of the column to the right of your output
3. Copy this dropdown to additional columns (e.g., D1, E1, F1)
4. In each column, select a different field from the dropdown
5. The values for each selected field will appear in the corresponding cells below

Best Practices

• Use descriptive headers: Make sure your sheet has clear headers in row 1, as these will be used as parameter names in the webhook payload.
• Manage your cache carefully: Use cache=true (default) for most situations to prevent duplicate webhook calls. Only use cache=false when you specifically need to trigger the webhook on every execution.
• Structure your data: If your webhook requires specific data formatting, consider using JSON_STRINGIFY or other helper functions before sending the data.
• Test with simple webhooks first: Use a service like webhook.site to see exactly what data is being sent before connecting to production services.
• Use field extraction efficiently: Rather than creating multiple TASK_WEBHOOK calls, use one call and extract multiple fields using the dropdown feature.
• Document your webhooks: Keep track of which services each webhook URL connects to, as the URLs themselves don't indicate the destination.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

1. "Error: Invalid webhook URL"

   • Ensure your webhook URL is complete and correct
   • Check for extra spaces or characters in the URL
   • Verify the webhook is still active in the destination platform

2. "Error: HTTP request failed with response code 404"

   • The webhook URL likely doesn't exist or has been deactivated
   • Check if the URL has expired (some services have time-limited webhooks)

3. "Error: HTTP request failed with response code 429"

   • You've hit a rate limit - try again later
   • Consider using the cache feature to reduce the number of calls

4. No data is being sent to the webhook

   • Ensure your sheet has headers in row 1
   • Check that the row where the function is located has data in columns that match these headers

5. Function appears to work but webhook isn't triggered

   • Make sure you're clicking "Run" in the Sheet Workflows sidebar
   • The function doesn't automatically execute - it requires manual execution

6. Cannot see field dropdown

   • Ensure the webhook is returning valid JSON data
   • Check if another formula or value is already in the cell where the dropdown should appear

FAQ

How does TASK_WEBHOOK know what data to send?

TASK_WEBHOOK automatically sends all data from the current row that has a header in row 1. It creates a JSON object where the keys are the header names and the values are the cell contents in that row.

Can I schedule webhooks to run automatically?

No, TASK_WEBHOOK does not support scheduling. You must manually run the function from the Sheet Workflows sidebar each time you want to trigger the webhook.

How do I see exactly what data is being sent to the webhook?

You can use a service like webhook.site, which provides a temporary webhook URL and shows you exactly what data it receives. This is helpful for testing and debugging.

How do I extract specific values from the webhook response?

When you run TASK_WEBHOOK, it automatically creates a dropdown in the next column that contains all fields from the response. You can select any field from this dropdown to extract its value. You can also copy this dropdown to other columns to extract multiple fields.

The field I need isn't showing in the dropdown. How can I access it?

If the field is nested deeply in the JSON structure, you may need to use more advanced JSON extraction techniques. Consider using the JSON_EXTRACT function with a path notation like "city<address<person" to access deeply nested values.

Why does my webhook trigger twice sometimes?

This can happen if your sheet recalculates. To prevent this, TASK_WEBHOOK uses caching by default. If you still see duplicate triggers, check if any other automations or scripts are causing the sheet to recalculate.

Can I send data from multiple rows at once?

TASK_WEBHOOK is designed to send data from a single row at a time. To send data from multiple rows, you would need to place the TASK_WEBHOOK function in each row and run them individually.

How large can the webhook response be?

The function can handle responses up to 50,000 characters. Larger responses will be truncated.